In summer 2024, the Mignone Center for Career Success, with support from Harvard Griffin GSAS Leadership, partnered with Michael Tworek, PhD ’14 (Founder, Polis Education) and Erica Machulak, PhD (Founder, Hikma Strategies) to offer a new and innovative program rooted in design thinking for a dozen current Harvard Griffin GSAS students.
Next Steps: Using Entrepreneurial Thinking to Design Your Career
To expose and support those interested in a pivot beyond academia, the Next Steps course brought together students from diverse disciplines with the common goal of thinking differently about life after Harvard. Using entrepreneurial methods to enable participants to discover their career “next steps” through evidence-based methods like “Person/Market Fit,” students received direct access to personalized mentoring and networking with humanities PhDs who successfully transitioned into non-academic careers.
Fast forward to spring 2025 and one of the program’s participants, Shae Omonijo (History), is now a semifinalist in Harvard’s President’s Innovation Challenge. This is her story.
Reflection by Shae Omonijo
Six months ago, if someone had told me I’d be leading a startup that’s now a semifinalist for the Harvard President Innovation Challenge, I would have laughed in disbelief. Yet here I am, and I owe so much of this journey to the Next Steps program that introduced me to the world of entrepreneurship.
The Next Steps program came at a pivotal moment in my academic journey. Like many students, I was searching for direction and purpose beyond the classroom. What the program offered wasn’t just theoretical knowledge about entrepreneurship—it provided a framework for action, a supportive community, and the confidence to take risks.
During the summer course, we explored various aspects of entrepreneurship, from ideation to execution. What resonated most with me was the emphasis on solving real problems. Co-hosts Michael and Erica encouraged us to look at challenges in our communities not as obstacles but as opportunities for innovation.
The loneliness epidemic is something I’ve observed affecting many around me, particularly in our increasingly digital world. Remote workers, professionals, and digital nomads often struggle to find meaningful in-person connections despite being surrounded by people. The Next Steps program taught me to approach this problem with both empathy and business acumen. Analog Social was born from this insight—a venture dedicated to providing screen-free experiences that help people find in-person communities, connect with local third spaces, and reclaim their focus and attention. The program helped me transform this concept from a vague idea into a viable business model with a clear mission.
One of the most valuable aspects of the Next Steps program was the connections it facilitated. Through the program’s network, I learned about the Harvard Innovation Labs and gained the confidence to apply for opportunities. Being accepted was an important milestone that provided essential resources, mentorship, and a collaborative environment to develop my venture.
The Next Steps program equipped me with more than just entrepreneurial knowledge—it instilled practices and mindsets that I apply daily:
- Problem-First Thinking: I’ve learned to start with identifying significant problems rather than forcing solutions.
- Resilience through Iteration: The past six months have been challenging, but the program prepared me to view obstacles as opportunities to refine our approach.
- Community Building: The program emphasized the value of networks, which has been instrumental in both developing our business model and finding support as a founder.
- Strategic Action: I’ve implemented structured approaches to testing ideas, gathering feedback, and making data-informed decisions.
While I’m proud of how far Analog Social has come in just six months, I know this is just the beginning. The Next Steps program helped me understand that entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. As I often remind myself now: the limit does not exist. This mindset, perhaps the most valuable takeaway from the Next Steps program, continues to drive me forward even when faced with uncertainty. This program opened doors I didn’t even know existed and provided the tools to walk through them with confidence. I’m deeply grateful for the foundation the Next Steps program provided. In many ways, this journey has been the hardest six months of my life—but without question, it has also been the most rewarding.
